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[LittleOzzy]

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[and1GS]

I'm starting to get more into the MLS because of 2 reasons:

1) That's all that's on in the US.
2) They're beginning to get more talent.

Not just random outside talent like Geovanni and Henry, but homegrown guys like Agudelo, Najar, and Opara who IMO could be among the best in the league this season.

Anyways, anybody who saw the Red Bulls play in the playoffs realized one thing...that Agudelo kid is good. Like, really really good. Like, could start at striker for the US team good. If the Red Bulls hadn't gotten rid of Angel Agudelo would have rendered Henry useless to NY other than as a marketing point.

Anybody see the draft? The top pick of Salgado surprised me...mostly because I don't think he's that good. Vancouver is gonna be a **** expansion club. United got so lucky to have kitchen fall to them.

[Slava]

I'll try to catch a game this season when Galaxy visit Kasnas City.

[LittleOzzy]

Anybody see the draft? The top pick of Salgado surprised me...mostly because I don't think he's that good. Vancouver is gonna be a **** expansion club. United got so lucky to have kitchen fall to them.

I think Salgado was a good pick for an expansion team personally. I don't think he'll be ready to contribute right away but that's perfect for a team not expected to do much in it's first few years in the league.

The kid has experience with Guadalajara, Everton and both the Mexican and American Under 20 teams, at his age that would of been hard for Vancouver to pass on.

What don't you like about his game?

[and1GS]

He's a big lumbering striker that isn't very quick and doesn't have an exceptional touch on his shot. The latter can be fixed through intense training but the former can't. His best bet is to become an ultra strong target striker with great technical skill or a hard shot. He could be kinda like a better Heskey if he says F the technical skill and just concentrates on becoming strong as hell with a fierce shot.

Overall, I don't see it. And the main reason Vancouver took him was because Nagbe said he didn't want to play in Vancouver but they still had their hearts set on a forward. This is without mentioning he can't play in the MLS until he's 18 or that he doesn't have a visa to play in Canada.

Who do you like from the draft, and what do you think of the player movement this offseason? Buddle leaving could have sunk the Galaxy, but the Red Bulls basically handed them their best striker in Angel for nothing.

Also interested in how DeMerit does for Vancouver.

[and1GS]

BTW is Vancouver your hometown team or Toronto FC? IMO Toronto FC is going places very soon. And one of their players, Dwayne DeRosario, used to coach my youth soccer club. He had some foot injury so he just coached us for a while until one of the head trainers for the Earthquakes took over.

[KF10]

Anybody see the draft? The top pick of Salgado surprised me...mostly because I don't think he's that good. Vancouver is gonna be a **** expansion club. United got so lucky to have kitchen fall to them.

Omar Salgado has the most soccer experience in terms of soccer exposure out of the top-5 selections. He trained with both Mexico & US NTs (U-20), Everton, Portland and D.C. United, Vancouver. Played in the Mexican League with the Chivas too.

And he is only 17 years old.

I think at his age, he is no where near the finish product.

[LittleOzzy]

He's a big lumbering striker that isn't very quick and doesn't have an exceptional touch on his shot. The latter can be fixed through intense training but the former can't. His best bet is to become an ultra strong target striker with great technical skill or a hard shot. He could be kinda like a better Heskey if he says F the technical skill and just concentrates on becoming strong as hell with a fierce shot.

Overall, I don't see it. And the main reason Vancouver took him was because Nagbe said he didn't want to play in Vancouver but they still had their hearts set on a forward. This is without mentioning he can't play in the MLS until he's 18 or that he doesn't have a visa to play in Canada.

I wouldn't worry to much about the work Visa, and with the MLS reserve league coming back this year he'll have a place to play full time.

I just think his experience will help him grow with Vancouver, and a big forward in MLS can take you a long way. The game isn't as open as it is in other leagues and sometimes a big target helps (like Danny Dichio).

Who do you like from the draft, and what do you think of the player movement this offseason? Buddle leaving could have sunk the Galaxy, but the Red Bulls basically handed them their best striker in Angel for nothing.

Also interested in how DeMerit does for Vancouver.

L.A are going to be fine without Buddle which is almost a crazy thing to say. Not only did they end up with Angel but they added Chad Barrett as well. This could very well be their year in MLS as Beckham likely still has something to prove before he heads back to Europe.

Imagine L.A not winning the cup after how much they paid to add Beckham.

As for player movement, I'm interested to see how Jeff Cunningham does in his return to the Crew, also interested in DeMerit with Vancouver and I want to see if O'Brian White can put it all together in Seattle.

[LittleOzzy]

BTW is Vancouver your hometown team or Toronto FC? IMO Toronto FC is going places very soon. And one of their players, Dwayne DeRosario, used to coach my youth soccer club. He had some foot injury so he just coached us for a while until one of the head trainers for the Earthquakes took over.

TFC is my team.

Dwayne De Rosario has kind of gone from fan favourite to a bit of a villain in Toronto. He has really cornered himself with a lot of contract talk as he wants to renegotiate once again.

He even made a few gestures on the field about it after scoring last season.

TFC as a whole looks promising though, the new coaching staff looks like they are really focused on bringing in a proper system and the guys are buying into it.

A tie and a win already in preseason against two very good clubs is a great start for a team basically starting from scratch once again.

[and1GS]

I just think his experience will help him grow with Vancouver, and a big forward in MLS can take you a long way. The game isn't as open as it is in other leagues and sometimes a big target helps (like Danny Dichio).

I was commenting on his development overall as a soccer player rather than a soccer player strictly for the MLS. Guys like Agudelo and Nagbe I expect to be gone in a few seasons so I guess Salgado is a good long term pick, I just don't think he has much potential.

Switching gears, I like what I've seen from De Guzman, is he still going to be a big part of TFC's future? And I did not know that about DeRosario, I get to watch very few TFC games out here in the Bay Area so I'm kinda restricted to whatever is on TV. Toronto is one of the best markets available in the MLS which is the main reason why I see a bright future for them. Red Bulls sucked for years then one day they said "wait...were in NY" and went on a spending spree. Same deal with the Galaxy. Other than them and Toronto the only kinda big markets left in the MLS are Chicago, DC, and Houston. And those aren't exactly big markets.

Once players get over the fact that Toronto is in Canada I think TFC can start contending with the best in the MLS. Right now though players like Nagbe are being douches and straight up refusing to go to Canada.

As for my team I guess I'm an earthquakes fan, though I moreso follow players. I'm gonna keep a close eye on Kevin Alston, Juan Agudelo, Andy Najar, and Omar Cummings this season. The latter has attracted a lot of attention from Aston Villa but due to some complication he couldn't join them. Alston is just fast as hell and Agudelo has amazing technical ability. Najar is just amazing all around, I think he could be one of the very best in the MLS by season's end.

[and1GS]

And ya I too can't get over the Buddle deal. I thought the Galaxy were f'd because, honestly, Buddle looked more important than Donovan at times this past season. But they got the other top goal scorer in the MLS to replace him and got Barrett.

[Sandlot]

I think the super teams need to start winning. As excited as I was to see my Earthquakes move on, I was disappointed to see NY not in the finals. I think the best thing for the sport and the league would be to have its biggest stars in the final. They needed LA and NY in the finals. True soccer fans will like seeing any team be able to win but to gain new fans they need stars in the biggest games.

[and1GS]

Ya they needed NY in the finals but that's the way the cookie crumbles when you're in season 1 of a massive re-structuring effort. Good thing there is that Agudelo's performance led to them shipping Angel out. I think they'll be back next year, they certainly need time to gel.

[LittleOzzy]

Switching gears, I like what I've seen from De Guzman, is he still going to be a big part of TFC's future? And I did not know that about DeRosario, I get to watch very few TFC games out here in the Bay Area so I'm kinda restricted to whatever is on TV. Toronto is one of the best markets available in the MLS which is the main reason why I see a bright future for them. Red Bulls sucked for years then one day they said "wait...were in NY" and went on a spending spree. Same deal with the Galaxy. Other than them and Toronto the only kinda big markets left in the MLS are Chicago, DC, and Houston. And those aren't exactly big markets.

De Guzman had a pretty bad year and couldn't really find his place in Preki system but I think he is really going to show why he was brought in this year.

I think Aron Winter will get the best out of him and his skill set will shine once again. Of course coming off an injury will be tough for him but hopefully he can come in and make a real difference. I think he is definitely part of TFC's future.

As for DeRosario...


Stunts like this didn't go over well last season.

Once players get over the fact that Toronto is in Canada I think TFC can start contending with the best in the MLS. Right now though players like Nagbe are being douches and straight up refusing to go to Canada.

The only negative Vancouver and Toronto has is the cold to start and end the season. I think the fan base in both cities will be a draw for players as well as the other marketable advantages that come with it.

TFC is also building a brand new year round training facility that should attract players that are worried about the travel needed each year for preseason.

Playing for TFC or the Whitecaps is also an easier route to get into the CONCACAF Champions League which is even more exposure.

[LittleOzzy]

I think the super teams need to start winning. As excited as I was to see my Earthquakes move on, I was disappointed to see NY not in the finals. I think the best thing for the sport and the league would be to have its biggest stars in the final. They needed LA and NY in the finals. True soccer fans will like seeing any team be able to win but to gain new fans they need stars in the biggest games.

Having a NY/LA finals would do wonders for the league but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

I would imagine a Henry/Beckham finals would be world wide news. TV ratings and jersey sales would take a jump in the right direction and more players would be looking at MLS as a good option playing wise.

I also think the other way around is a completely wasted year each time it happens. A Columbus/Salt Lake finals for example would do nothing for the league right now.

If they want more exposure they have to hope for at least one major market to reach the cup each year, be it L.A., N.Y., Toronto, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston or Seattle.

[and1GS]

The only negative Vancouver and Toronto has is the cold to start and end the season. I think the fan base in both cities will be a draw for players as well as the other marketable advantages that come with it.

I think American players are being snobs right now about playing in another country that isn't in Europe. If TFC starts winning and looks for transfers outside the US they could build a nice franchise.

What team did Cunningham transfer too? That guy is fast as hell. And do you have any idea what became of that Charlie Davies trial?

[Munchlaxatives]

Dwayne De Rosario has kind of gone from fan favourite to a bit of a villain in Toronto. He has really cornered himself with a lot of contract talk as he wants to renegotiate once again.

Did that in Houston, too. We would have understood that he wanted to go to his home country, but the guy just wanted to get paid.

[Munchlaxatives]

BTW, Houston is not in the freaking East.



...but its better than New York in the West.

[and1GS]

DeRosario's always been a weird dude, never really liked him when he was my coach. Couldn't believe he was a pro player until I actually saw him on TV.

[BlackMamba]

Which well known European are they getting this season?